So , ilias , you go to the gym … What do you do there ?
Great question !
Here’s the plan. ( except the bad selfies )
As I told you I go four times per week. Two times I do back, shoulders and chest. The other two I do feet, shoulders and chest. Occasionally, I throw some abs. I don’t do arms, because they are hit indirectly by other exercises.
The choice of exercises is basic, compound movements that involve as many as muscle groups as possible. Squat, deadlift, pullups, presses. And I am huge advocate of full body workouts. The only separation I do is back and legs and this is solely because I don’t have enough time for both. I know that it goes against conventional bodybuilding wisdom that requires some kind of a split. This works very well for chemically enhanced professionals, but for the rest of us amateurs, whole body workouts give us the most musclebang for our buck.
I especially hit shoulders, because I have a thick waist and want to create the illusion of an X frame. I also hit pecks, because they draw attention from the belly. If you have any other specific needs, you can hit certain muscle groups. But back and legs must be the stable of every workout.
I go for 6-8 reps for four sets. This rep range for me is the perfect balance between gaining strength and gaining muscle mass. Before you go heavy do a couple of light weight warm up sets.
Now, this is the important stuff. I am very strict with the technique of each exercise. Most injuries come from not properly executing exercises. I go as heavy as I can and at the same time I do the exercise correctly. I don’t do assisted reps. They are unnecessarily risky to me. If you put on more weight than you can handle on your own and without the right form then check your ego at the door and reduce the weight.
When I do an exercise for a certain muscle group, I feel that muscle group doing the work. If you do a back exercise and you feel biceps doing the reps then you have a wrong form. You must focus on the exercise and feel the muscles doing the exercises. It’s called muscle-mind connection. Some people tend to focus on certain body parts of fellow gym attendants. You could do that on your break. During the exercise is you, the weights and the proper form. Nothing else.
Now that I’ve mentioned break. I do less than a minute break. More than a minute I think is slacking. During your break you should stretch a little bit. There is a technique I got from Dexter Jackson. It’s called squeeze and stretch. Right after (almost) each set you squeeze the muscle that performed the exercise and then you stretch it. This improves both the look of the muscle and the muscle – mind connection.
For last I have the biggest secret. The most important factor of success in the gym and generally in life is …
Is to show up! If you go to the gym 3-4 times per week for 50 weeks straight and only do pushups, you will be better off than someone with a better “split” that is on and off all the time. Find a plan that suites you and stick with it… For a year. You will do great.
Closing, let us see my goal. I said I would weight 76 kilos by the end of May. One kilo for a week is good, but I am more happy with the fact that I fit better in my trousers. I weight under the same circumstances so that I have a reference. Weight can fluctuate up to a kilo ( that is two pounds ) depending on your meal, water retention etc, but if you weight the same time of the day each time you will know what you are doing.
That was it for this week. Next time I will discuss nutrition.
And until then…
Be Healthy, Smile and STEEM ON !!!
